YOU ARE MY SAFE PLACE

Greetings,

The number eight is front and center today because it's 11/8/2018. So I went looking for a Psalm with number eight in it and came across Psalm 118.  Today's DEVO is a prayer based on this powerful and uplifting Psalm.  Given the news this morning out of California, it's perfect for our troubled souls.

Dear Lord,

I give thanks to You today because You are good and Your love endures forever. I cry out to You because sometimes things are happening that cause me worry.  Thank You that You answer me and set me free from anguish. You are on my side, and I will not fear.  You are my Helper, and You are for me.  Mortal man has no power over me.  I trust in You and take refuge in You.  YOU ARE MY SAFE PLACE.

Sometimes there is trouble all around, and so many things are going wrong.  But in Your mighty name, that trouble is cut off of my life.  That trouble is extinguished by Your mighty living waters!  You are my Strength and my Song. You are my Salvation.

There is rejoicing and joyful shouting in my house.  I  shout for joy and I praise Your name.  BECAUSE I ABIDE WITH YOU AND SEEK SHELTER WITH YOU, NONE IN MY FAMILY SHALL DIE, BUT WE WILL ALL LIVE AND DECLARE YOUR GOODNESS!

I give thanks to You because You have answered me. This is the day You have made.  I rejoice in it and am glad.

Send showers and showers of blessings. Thank You for Your guiding light that illuminates my life with grace, freedom, and joy.

YOU ARE MY GOD, and I PRAISE YOU! You are good,  and Your mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Blessings~

Greetings,

The 33^rd chapter of Deuteronomy in the Bible is dedicated to the blessings Moses spoke over the Israelites.  Today, we will speak them over ourselves and those we love.

Grant us life, dear Lord, and bring us together and keep us tightly knit as a family.  Give us strength to stand against our enemies. Accept the work of our hands, and bless our land with the precious gift of dew from the heavens and water from beneath the earth; with the rich fruit that grows in the sun, and with the best gifts of the earth and its bounty, O Lord. May we prosper in our homes.  Enlarge our territories, and may Your justice rule over us. May we be rich in favor and full of Your blessings.  May we be safe and secure all our days. There is no one like You, our God. You ride across the heavens to help us, across the skies in majestic splendor. You, eternal God, are our refuge, and Your everlasting arms are under us.  You drive out our enemies, and we live in safety. We are blessed and saved by You, O Lord. You are our protecting shield!

AME! AMEN! AMEN!

Here We Go Again!

Greetings,

Here we go again! Almost a year ago  -  October 4, 2016  -  I, along with thousands of South Floridians, started preparing for Hurricane Matthew.  This time around it's Hurricane Irma. She is churning away in the Atlantic as a Category 5, which means her speeds are topping out at 175 mph. That's insane! Her exact path is still unknown, but as a precaution, we must be ready. 

So, as soon as I send this DEVO I am headed out the door to purchase more water and fill my car up with gas.  Then I will pick up Hershey's toys, which are scattered all around the yard, take down my hanging fern, and dust off the storm shutters. Not exactly a great way to spend a Tuesday. 

But the most important thing I will do in all my preparations is pray  -  specifically, Psalm 91 (The Message Version).

"Dear God, You are my refuge, my haven, my sanctuary, and my shield.  I trust in You, and I am safe.  You rescue me and protect me from deadly hazards [like HURRICANES]. Your huge outstretched arms guard me and my family, and under them, we are perfectly safe because Your arms fend off all harm.  I fear nothing, and no harm will even graze me or those I love. I will stand untouched because You are my hiding place. Harm can not get through the door. Thank You that You have ordered Your angels to protect me and my family wherever we go.  Their job is to keep us from falling, and we will walk unharmed.  Thank You that You give me and those I love the best of care.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

The words of the Bible are so comforting, and God knew that Psalm 91 is exactly what we all needed to hear today.  May you pray this prayer and be strengthened in your souls!

Let's Bless Ourselves

Greetings,

Back in 2005 a dear friend of mine gave me a book, which I just fished out of the closet to re-read. On the inside cover she wrote a beautiful dedication based on Psalm 36.  It is so powerful and totally in keeping with this past Tuesday's DEVO. "Let's bless ourselves with health, energy, and encouragement by speaking God's Word into our life."

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, How precious is Your constant, faithful, gracious love for me.  It reaches to the heavens; it extends to the skies.  I take refuge and shelter in the shadow of Your wings.  You feed me with blessings from Your own table , and I am satisfied.  I drink from Your rivers of delight, and I am refreshed. You are the fountain of life, the light by which I see.  Pour out Your unfailing kindness and mercy on me.  Never stop giving Your blessings to me because I long for Your goodness in my life. AMEN~   

P.S.

Ten truths from this prayer:

I am completely loved no matter what

I am sheltered

I am blessed

I am well-fed

I am satisfied

I am hydrated

I am refreshed

I have all the light I need to make wise decisions

I am inundated with kindness

I am overwhelmed with mercy

                Thank You, Jesus~

Declaring God's Word

Psalm 91:2,14 "'This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust him...The LORD says, 'I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name.'"

Greetings,

Twenty-five years ago my first born, Hormone, started pre-k  4.  I quickly learned that organization was the key to keeping my sanity intact.  So the night before,  I made sure his uniform was clean and laid out, that I had a healthy breakfast on hand, and that all his little homework  papers were duly signed and carefully tucked into his backpack.

For the most part, keeping everything in order  served me well.  Then Rayray joined the ranks of pre-schoolers, and she threw several kinks in my preparations.  I never knew if she wanted to wear a hair bow that day or which one.  It was a bigger deal then it seems because one time in the middle of the school day, she decided she wanted her kitten barrettes.  She was so upset that her teacher actually called me and asked me to bring them to her.  (I did, and I still have them as a reminder that I was a nice mommy!).

When both kids were in elementary school, I started working again, further complicating our morning schedule.   Sometimes the car was on empty, I needed cash for a field trip, or I needed to make a quick trip to the store for snack day.  

Some days were good and some days were hectic and frenzied.  But every single say was blessed because there was always one final thing we did before we headed out the door, without which I felt we were all only partially clothed - not completely ready to face the day.

NO MATTER WHAT, my kids were  not allowed to leave for school without us declaring, "The Lord alone is Jorge, Yenise, Jorgie and Rachel's place of safety."

How does God respond when we declare this? "I will protect those who trust in My name."

Crazy terrible things happen every day, prompting us to think that maybe prayer doesn't make a difference.  But that is not what the Bible teaches. "The persistent prayer of a believer can accomplish much and have tremendous power" (James 5:16). That settles it: Nothing is going to stop me, nor should it stop you, from declaring God's Word.   When we do that, it is an invitation to the Lord to activate His power in our lives. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You and You alone are our place of safety.  We declare that You are our refuge.  None one of us has the power to protect ourselves, our families, our homes, our income, or our businesses without You.  Cover us in Your strength and in Your peace.  Thank You for Your willingness to always help us.  We are secure, in Jesus' name, AMEN~  

Ready and Waiting

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”

Isaiah 30:18 “So the LORD must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God.”

Greetings all you precious children of the Most-high God!

Take a look at this picture:

No one wants to see the temperature gauge nearing the "H" when they are driving their car. But that is exactly what Jorge and I saw three weeks ago on the way home from my in-laws’ house.  We were able to pull over safely, and my father-in-law, the beloved Chini, traded cars with us so he could drop off the car at the mechanic in the morning and I could have transportation for work.  Exactly one week later the car over heated again.  Back to the mechanic it went. And then this past Friday, yes, you guessed it, it happened for the third time.  So this time we took the car to another mechanic – one with a greater degree of knowledge for our type of car.

Lots of folks specialize in different areas.  I would never go to a podiatrist for a headache, nor would I have my house painted by the guy who mows the lawn.  I also wouldn’t have my nails done by my math teacher son, nor would I call in my sister to fix my dishwasher, which is currently on the fritz.

In other words, there are certain things that only certain people are qualified to handle.

Our mighty Lord is in a category all His own.

Only He can heal the broken hearted. Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Only He can take our fear and turn it into faith. Psalm 34:4 “I prayed to the LORD, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears.”

Only He can replace our mourning for joy. Psalm 30:11 “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.”

Only He can crush anxiety and drown us in peace. John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.”

Only He can _________________________...fill in the blank, dear one.  

What is happening right now that you have no control over?  God is waiting for you to turn to Him.

When my car broke down, I had to take action.  I just didn’t leave it there by the side of the road praying it would fix itself.  Likewise, there is no need to just sit by and hope everything works out with the messes of life.  Take action and go the One Who specializes in meeting all your needs; He is ready and waiting for you!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You that You are ready to help. Thank You that You are our refuge and strength. Thank You that You are faithful and compassionate. Thank You that You can handle anything and everything we bring Your way. You are always ready and waiting! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!   

GO TO THE WING!

Psalm 57:1 “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts in You: yes, in the shadow of your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over.”

What are we to do until the “calamities of life be over?”  Where are we to go? Where should we be when they finally do pass?

We must make our refuge in the shadow of God's wings. According to dictionary.com a refuge is "a place of shelter, protection, or safety or anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape."  Allow me to suggest a slight edit to the fine people at dictionary.com: Please add that a refuge is also "Someone" Who offers aid, relief, and escape.

If this part of the Holy Scripture evokes an image of a bunch of fluffy little defenseless chickies running under their momma's wing when they get scared, or are cold, or just want to snuggle, you would be correct.

God's wings are broad, tender, and provide everything dictionary.com says and more.

When your kids do stuff they shouldn't do — go to the wing.

When your hubby or wifey is acting all special — go to the wing.

When your bank account is running low — go to the wing.

When your health is uncooperative — go to the wing.

When family relationships become strained — go to the wing.

When you are in a bad mood — go to the wing.

When there is bad news after bad news about the economy — go to the wing.

When crazy stuff happens in our society — go to the wing.

GO TO THE WING!!!

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Sometimes life, as beautiful as it is, is one big series of ongoing pressures. You tell us in Your Word that Your wings are available to us. There's plenty of room for everyone, so we come to You today and ask for shelter. Your cooling shade offers us relief, and we need it. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

He Will Give You Everything You Need~

TGIF Greetings :)

 

Relationships have been front and center for almost two weeks in the DEVOs, and today we tie up some loose strings.

 

Have you wondered why Boaz spoke so graciously to Ruth in the first place? Why he touched her heart with her words? Why he blessed her and Naomi with provision and protection?

 

Ruth 2:11 "Boaz replied, 'I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.'”

 

Ruth's reputation preceded her. Boaz knew she was worth getting to know. It is true that there are those who are not necessarily after a long-term relationship and could care less about a young woman's character. But this works in our favor.

 

If we conduct ourselves in a respectable way we will attract those who are respectable. The riff raff will stay away because they know that, first and foremost, we are taking refuge under the God of Israel's wings.

 

This is a powerful principle: SEEK GOD FIRST--TRUST HIM WITH YOUR FUTURE--HOLD ONTO YOUR CHARACTER AND MORALITY--AND THE RIGHT GUY OR GAL WILL NOTICE.

 

It is so romantic to me that a guy would say to a young woman that I have heard about you--you have been so kind in your life that I ask God to bless you for it.

 

Those words might be a little dated for 2013. But you know what I mean. Boaz approached Ruth for the right reasons. And it made him want to share everything he owned with her to make her happy.

 

Back in 1982 I worked at Sedano's Pharmacy. There was a regular customer who would come in once a week during my shift and make small talk. He was cute, and everything was fine at first. He did indeed ask me out. When he found out I couldn't date without a chaperon, he said, "Can't you meet me somewhere?" Uh, no.

 

Don't think I didn't think that having a chaperon was ridiculous, because it was. But honestly, if this guy could not respect my family's way of doing things, how would he ever respect me?

 

Ask Jorge and he will tell you that once he and I started dating I welcomed my mom's overbearing rules.

 

For example:

(1) If you see Jorge on Friday, there's no need to see him on Saturday and vice-versa.

(2) You must be home by midnight, and your brother is going with you every where you go. (I was 20 years old! Most kids don't even start getting ready to go out until 11PM nowadays).

(3) You may see him every Sunday--at church.

(4) He may visit once during the week and stay for an hour or less. I have things to do and can not sit there and babysit you.

 

It was rough, to say the least, but I welcomed these suffocating and unreasonable rules to see just how much Jorge was willing to put up with. He did not flinch--not once--the entire 18 months we dated before we were married. Not even when we arrived 10 minutes late one Saturday night--from youth group no less--and my mom punished me for one entire month. No Jorge for one month! I thought I would die! But I didn't, and neither did he. And, most importantly, I knew that I knew that I knew that Jorge was the guy for me.

 

There are ways in which a young man can touch our heart that does not require words; there are ways in which a young woman acts that draws the attention from the right guy. And vice-versa. And everything starts to fall into place when we, like Ruth, decide to make the One True God our God.

 

Matthew 6:33 "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (including a blessed relationship)."

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, We have been so blessed by the story of Ruth. It truly is a beautiful love story between two people who knew how to treat one another and respect the elders in their lives. The consequences of their behavior inspires us today. We all want to true love in our lives and the first step is to take refuge under Your wings. Cover us with your guidance and protection as we make relationship decisions. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Lord, Have Mercy~

We have worked our way backward on this week's verse and have finally arrived at the beginning.


Psalm 57:1

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts inYou: yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over.

Remember that game we all played as kids where we would stand face-to-face with someone, interlock hands and try to bend the other's fingers back until they snapped or the person yelled, "MERCY!"?

By the time someone yelled, it was because there was an URGENT need for relief. This verse is asking for mercy twice, and it is not some quiet, relaxed, I am sipping tea out by the pool on a lovely spring afternoon, wearing a wide-brim sombrero, and casually swatting at the occasional fly, with a pinky extended and saying, "Be merciful, hee hee hee."

NO! It's more of a life is hard, my kid failed another test, my daughter is dating a thug, my husband is depressed, I hate my job, and I don't know how I am going to pay the bills screaming, "Be merciful to me, O God, me merciful to me!!!!"

Do you see the difference? It's a gut-wrenching sincere cry for relief. Other versions of the Bible describe the calamities as a hurricane. If you're in the middle of a hurricane, your cry for help will be forceful and emphatic.

And it is ok--more than ok--to cry out for mercy from the One Whom your soul trusts and under Whose wing you are hiding out until the bad stuff passes.

We trust, pray, and seek shelter, and He freely and abundantly provides mercy.

What, exactly, is mercy? It's God's kindness and compassion. More on that this week :)

What a satisfying note to begin our week on!

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, Be merciful to us, O God, be merciful to us: for our souls trust in You: yes, in the shadow of Your wing we make our refuge, until the calamities be over. In Jesus name, AMEN~

Go to the Wing~

Psalm 57:1


Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul trusts in You: yes, in the shadow of your wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be over.

What are we to do until the calamities of life be over? Where are we to go? Where should we be when they finally pass?

We must make our refuge in the shadow of God's wings. According to dictionary.com a refuge is, " a place of shelter, protection, or safety or anything to which one has recourse for aid, relief, or escape." If I may suggest a slight edit to the fine people at dictionary.com? Please add that a refuge is also "Someone" Who offers aid, relief , and escape.

If this part of the Holy Scripture evokes an image of a bunch of fluffy little defenseless chickies running under their momma's wing when they get scared, or are cold, or just want to snuggle, you would be correct.

God's wings are broad, tender, and provide everything dictionary.com says and more.

When your kids do stuff they shouldn't do--go to the wing.

When your hubby or wifey is acting all special--go to the wing.

When your bank account is running low--go to the wing.

When your health is uncooperative--go to the wing.

When family relationships become strained--go to the wing.

When you are in a bad mood--go to the wing.

When there is bad news after bad news about the economy--go to the wing.

When crazy stuff happens in our society--go to the wing.



GO TO THE WING!!!

Wait a minute!!!! Forget everything I just said. Do not go to the wing, people. You should already be living there. To live under God's wing is to live a life of prayer.

There have been times in my life when I neglected to pray. I was busy, tired, apathetic, whatever you want to call it. And then when the pressures came, I had to work to get past the feeling that my prayers were bouncing off the ceiling. I had to re-engage my relationship with Him. He was there all the while, but my faith muscles were so weak. Hefty heaping helpings of Genesis to Revelation helped me re-build, but it would have been so much better not to get flabby in the first place.

And then there were times when I was nesting daily under His loving protection and care. He was so very close to me and I to Him that, for example, when I received the dreaded call that Rayray had been in a car accident, I did not have far to go to get help!

God will always be there when we need Him, but it is so much better to build a relationship with Him on a daily basis. "Give us this day our daily bread," was written for a reason. If you neglect to fill yourself spiritually, you will find that you are empty when you need it most.


PRAYER:

Dear Lord, Sometimes life, as beautiful as it is, is one big series of ongoing pressures. You tell us in Your Word that Your wings are available to us. There's plenty of room for everyone, so we come today to You today and ask for shelter. Your cooling shade offers us relief, and we need it. In Jesus' name, AMEN~